Chapter 45: Head-on Clash
Or more accurately, the layer of "living sludge" on its body was starting to break down...
’I never thought a spontaneous water attack would work like this. It didn’t harm the Mutant Dog, but it washed away all that sludge...’
As the layer of "sludge" gradually sloughed off, the Mutant Dog with nearly 3,000 HP revealed its true form—
A body leaner and more wiry than that of a regular Mutant Dog!
Though its body was a third smaller than before, it was covered in dense bone plates, with only a few joints exposed!
There was a finger-wide dent in the bone plate on the Mutant Dog’s chest—the mark from his previous attack.
Lin Fan finally understood why his spear couldn’t pierce the monster. The bone plates covering its body were so tough that even the power of Sharpness could barely penetrate them!
They were much harder than reinforced concrete!
’Uh...’
’It’s too late to run now...’
...
The thought had barely crossed his mind when the Mutant Dog sprang into action!
It was nearly twice as fast as before. Even on a potion, Lin Fan could barely keep up!
He only had time to cross two steel pipes in front of his chest before the Mutant Dog’s paws came crashing down!
Lin Fan was sent flying by the immense force, smashing into the side of a car behind him and shattering its windows!
BEEP! BEEP! BEEP! BEEP!
The car alarm blared, its headlights flashing relentlessly.
[-39]!
[206/335]!
COUGH! COUGH! COUGH!
Blood welled up in his throat and caught in his windpipe, sending Lin Fan into an uncontrollable coughing fit as he leaned against the car!
’Fuck... cough, cough!’
On some bizarre impulse, he’d thrown the monster into the water. While it had washed off the annoying layer of "sludge," he never imagined it would also shed its weight!
Its body now significantly lighter, the Mutant Dog seemed unaccustomed to the change. It warily circled Lin Fan and the noisy, flashing "giant monster" behind him, occasionally lowering its head to sniff its own paws.
This gave Lin Fan a moment to catch his breath.
He spat a wad of bloody saliva to the side.
Using his long spear to prop himself up, Lin Fan got to his feet.
Seeing its "prey" move, the Mutant Dog stopped circling, lowered its body, and watched him warily.
Lin Fan didn’t dare let his guard down for a second, his eyes locked on the Mutant Dog.
The water had stripped away its outer shell, granting it unparalleled agility in return.
’I don’t have the advantage in speed, and if we go head-to-head, that bone armor will make it impossible for me to get through...’
’Not much time left...’
Normally, his own strength and agility would have been enough for a fight, but he was now at a disadvantage against the unburdened, massive Mutant Dog. That meant he had to use his last potion.
’Use Strength Potion!’
Sure enough, below his health bar, a new icon of a muscular arm appeared to the right of his 2-minute Swiftness, 3-minute Hardening, and 43 points of Sharpness. A timer appeared below it, 9:59, and began counting down!
Instantly, Lin Fan felt a force rush through his muscles, his entire body visibly bulking up!
His once somewhat thin frame began to expand, every muscle fiber swelling and bunching. In the blink of an eye, he had transformed into a hulking, muscular man!
His clothes and pants strained, tearing at the seams. Even the uppers of his shoes were forced outward by his swelling calves, the laces stretched taut and on the verge of snapping!
Feeling the power surging through his arms, Lin Fan hesitated no longer. He cast his short spear aside, kicked off the ground, and swung the long spear at the Mutant Dog’s head!
’I’ll smash its mouth to pieces first!’
His Swift Potion was still active, and combined with the potent effects of the Strength Potion, Lin Fan’s speed was now on par with the bone-armored Mutant Dog!
Removing that annoying layer of "sludge" had seemingly strengthened the Mutant Dog, but now, with his own strength skyrocketing, the advantage had actually shifted to Lin Fan!
After all, its bone armor had been hidden beneath the "sludge"—soft on the outside, hard on the inside. He couldn’t see it, and he couldn’t break through it!
But now, it was completely exposed!
’All I have to do is aim for the gaps in its armor!’
SMACK!
A wet, crunching sound echoed!
The monster couldn’t dodge in time and took the blow to its mouth. The power of Sharpness embedded in the spear shaft erupted on impact, tearing one of the four petals of its flower-like maw clean off and sending it flying!
Only the base remained attached to its jaw!
[-169]!
[2419/2694]!
’It worked!’
The damage was still low, but it was a vast improvement over the double-digit numbers from before!
The Mutant Dog staggered under the force of Lin Fan’s blow, nearly getting knocked to the ground!
It seemed washing off the "sludge" had another benefit. The Mutant Dog’s weight had plummeted—it was at least two hundred pounds lighter than before!
Otherwise, a single blow like that might not have had such a dramatic effect!
’My chance!’
Seeing his enemy off-balance, Lin Fan yanked his spear back and immediately thrust it at the monster’s head!
He was going for a vicious strike!
But the monster’s reflexes were anything but slow!
Instead of becoming enraged by its injury, as Lin Fan thrust his spear, it planted its four paws and leaped aside, causing his attack to hit nothing but air!
Four legs were simply more agile than his two.
His attack having missed, Lin Fan didn’t waste a moment!
He pulled his spear back and charged toward the spot where the Mutant Dog would land!
’Less than two minutes left on the Swiftness buff!’
Once the potion wore off, his strength alone wouldn’t be enough to keep up with the Mutant Dog’s reaction speed.
If this dragged on until all his potion timers ran out, things would get ugly!
Before the Mutant Dog could even land, Lin Fan closed the distance in a couple of strides, extended his spear, and thrust it hard into the dark gap between the bone plates on its flank!
It had nowhere to dodge this time. Besides, there had to be gaps in the bone plates; otherwise, it could never move so nimbly!
Though its tip had been blunted by the previous two failed attempts, the spear now seemed guided by Lin Fan’s enhanced reflexes and keen intellect. The thick steel pipe, glinting with the cold light of Sharpness, forced its way into the narrow seam between the bone plates!
SCREEECH—
A grating sound that set teeth on edge rang out as the steel pipe forced the bone plates apart, even cracking their edges.
With a roar, Lin Fan’s arm muscles tightened like coiled pythons, and he rammed the steel shaft all the way through!
THUMP!
The spearhead slammed against the inner wall of the bone plate on the far side with a muffled thud. With nowhere else to go, the immense kinetic energy and the power of Sharpness exploded inside the Mutant Dog, turning its organs into a messy pulp!
The seams around the bone plate on its other side also burst from within, spraying out plumes of foul blood!
[-389]!
Under Lin Fan’s current monstrous strength, the three-to-four-hundred-pound Mutant Dog was sent flying by the force of the blow, smashing heavily onto the ground!
Reeling in pain, it struggled to get back up, but Lin Fan, racing against the clock, wasn’t about to give it the chance!
He planted a foot on the Mutant Dog’s neck, wrenched his spear free, and with all his might, stabbed three more times into the gash he’d just torn open!
Foul blood sprayed everywhere!
[-306]!
[-378]!
[-288]!
[1058/2694]!
With its neck pinned by Lin Fan, the Mutant Dog struggled to break free, the repeated blows driving it into a frenzy!
Its front paws began to claw frantically at Lin Fan’s right leg!
Its back legs kicked out wildly, aiming straight for Lin Fan’s crotch!
"Fuck!"
Lin Fan hastily pulled his foot back and hopped away, dodging the Mutant Dog’s sneak attack!
’That was way too close!’
If that attack had landed...
Lin Fan glanced at the four sharp claws on the Mutant Dog’s paw, glinting coldly...
’That would’ve taken off 99 HP for sure!’